Ousted Thai PM Thaksin granted bail

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted bail on corruption charges on Thursday, but ordered not to leave Thailand without court permission, the Supreme Court said in a statement.

Thaksin was released on bail of eight million baht (250,000 dollars) after a 20-minute hearing, the statement said.

He will have to ask permission from the judges in order to travel outside the country, it added.

"He is also banned from doing anything which may damage or obstruct the legal process. Otherwise the bail will be revoked," the statement said.

The first hearing in the trial was set for March 12.

The case against Thaksin accuses him of using his influence to win a bargain-priced property deal for his wife in 2003.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman each face up to 13 years in prison in the case.

After leaving the court, police escorted him to the Attorney General's Office to hear separate charges of making fraudulent filings to securities regulators in the listing of a property company in 2003.